Greetings, friends!
Are you partied out? We are two days deep in holiday festivities, and now awaiting the arrival of out-of-town relatives so we can celebrate my aunt and the hubs’s late December birthdays.
The kids have been pretty awesome this last couple days. Minimal fighting. Mostly good manners. Fair display of gift-receiving gratitude.
Hello, Dearests!
I don’t know why I thought a few days before Christmas was a good time for this, but for whatever reason, I sat down at the computer and wrote a post about a time I was a big fat jerk. Click here to read all about it!
May your holidays be merry and jerk-free.
XOXO Stacy
While I addressed a mountain of Christmas cards this morning, my husband and I chatted about how a task that is an absolute nightmare for some is one of the highlights of my season.
No, I’m not talking about leaving the lights on every time I come up from the basement, or chronically abandoning my empty travel mugs in the car. I’m not talking about taking off my jewelry at night and leaving it on the bathroom counter, or neglecting the mail for days.
I’m not even talking about answering my phone when it rings (Sorry, Mom).
As a mom of three boys (6, 4,and 2), I’ve seen a lot of books, toys and trinkets come into the house over the last few years. I’ve sold or donated action figures galore. I’ve tossed broken bits of plastic toys and recycled dozens of plot-less, pointless books.
Some items, though, have withstood the test of time and earned their place of honor in the playroom closet. Here, I present to you my (unsponsored and unbiased) list of favorites that inspire creativity, imagination and/or problem solving in kids — the picky mom’s guide to gift giving, if you will.
Hey Everybody!
This Sunday is the first day of the Christian season of Advent, and I’ve got a new post up over at Her View from Home that’s full of suggestions for creating a rich and meaningful Advent, including some ways I intend to bring Advent to life for my kids.
I hope you’ll give it a read, then share with me the special ways you do Advent in your home.
Have a relaxing and connected Thanksgiving with the ones you adore!
Stacy
On Friday afternoons, my dear Kristen comes over for a little accountability group, which translates to three cups of coffee, catching up on all the THINGS that have happened since last week, and then glancing at the clock eight minutes before she has to leave to pick up her kids from school and saying, “Oh, wow, I guess we should group!”
When Dennis Lynch enlisted in the Marines in 1963, it was more a lack of options than a valiant effort to serve and protect his country.
On Monday night, my son had his first Cub Scout pack meeting. He put on his official uniform and smiled at himself in the mirror, then asked if I would take a picture to send to his grandparents.
My youngest son, Miles, is two-and-a-half — one of my favorite ages.
Kids this age crack me up as they transition from the baby stage to the kid stage. Miles has this staccato way of talking that makes me want to video-record every sentence.
Recently, our neighbors spotted a cougar on their trail camera, and we have all been more cautious in the woods and yard because of it. A few days ago, Miles asked me to carry him from the car to the house in the dark so the “Too-ger” wouldn’t get him.
Once inside, he puffed his chest up and said, “Guess what, Mama,” emphasizing every word, “If I ever see that too-ger, I’m going to Hulk-mash him and throw him in a bol-cano full of hot lava.”
REVISIONS OF GRANDEUR 